About Me
- Sailing HideAway - svhideaway
- Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active. Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too! New! The Hideaways take to the road! Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway. The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Sailing HideAway- ComPac 23 New Trailer Launch- What You Should Know First
Fitting your sailboat to a new trailer, even a trailer that has been built to the boat manufacturer's specification, is a risky business. Do not assume it is a finished product. In the image below the red arrow at the stern of the boat shows the HideAway lifted off the trailer, supported only by the rear supports or a anti-gravity device was installed at no charge if the sailboat manufacture was correct.
The attached video is longer than most I've produced because I wanted to give you a real sense of what fitting the boat to the trailer entails. After viewing the video I realized we made some mistakes in the process but ultimately were successful. As I've written before: You are as likely to see a mistake as much as the correct way to do things. In other words I've made the mistakes and successes for you to see. Fair winds.
Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active.
Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Stoned Sailing Squirrels et al - Sailing HideAway
 |
| THE GOLDEN HOUR ARRIVES |
Recently, I found myself in a small, backwater, coastal town
down in Florida. So remote was the place
that most
of the inhabitants spend their entire lives searching for it.
Only a few are successful.
 |
| Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, Fl |
My excuse was a wrong turn down a sandy, palm
tree
lined road, and you know the kind, where the grass
grows in the middle and
red headed lizards wait
for prey in the soft, white sand tracks among the pines.
 |
| FISH HAWK AKA OSPREY |
The voice of the Fish Hawk lead me towards a small marina
hidden by thick mangroves, on a day so hot the plastic
wood dock threatened to
melt into ice cube trays to cool off.
(You
remember ice cube trays, I’m sure, right?).
After moments of searching I have found concrete proof
of what happens to sailors who fail to sail often enough.
The poor creatures are hard to find. Now I know why.
There were no witnesses when I first saw the couple, out
of the
corner of my eye, sitting on the dock. I
wasn’t sure
what my corner eye saw initially, except the couple
were, in fact, contemplating climbing aboard a nice
blue sailing cruiser. They did not seem to move,
at least not
quickly.
 |
| CONCRETE EVIDENCE- STONED SQUIRRELS |
The sailors, you must understand, had been too long
ashore, lost their sea legs and
much in the way
galvanized steel turns to rust, they had turned to stone.
Worse, they had become... Well - Squirrels.
 |
| SAILING HIDEAWAY Another Adventure Begins |
Don’t let this
happen to you!
Untie that boat! Raise her
sails!
Let your inner stone squirrel fly
free!
SMALL BOATS ROCK!
Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active.
Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Sailing HideAway Prepare for The Storm - Main Sail Tie Down
In this video we show a quick, easy way to tie down your main sail, however if the word "Hurricane" appears in the forecast, we strip the boat, tie it down the best we can, and go home.
Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active.
Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Building or Buying a Sailboat Trailer? Check this out What You Should Know
 |
| Rusted Suspension Nuts |
Rust it seems, interferes with every salt water sailor’s allotted distance made good over water.
No matter what the reason, whether long neglected home improvement projects – After all we don’t live aboard the HideAway. Or worse, our sailing dollar must include costs to keep the 20 year old pickup wandering down the road. –No truck means no launch capability. Not many sail their trucks but on the HideAway it’s a fact of life.
Well you get the picture
So, for the last many tides the HideAway sat unattended but not abandoned. She is fully found. Her keel thirsty for any water that does not fall from the sky.The Scene
After a particularly heavy deluge of sky water I climbed HideAways ladder, tied it off to the stern cleat, and opened the cabin to check the water depth in the small buckets hanging from partially opened ports. Three inches port side - One inch starboard. The rain was more horizontal than vertical that.I dumped the water down the sink and then on a whim, flipped on the bilge pump. Yeah, I know it should be automatic – Another incomplete project. Sadly, these days HideAway does not spend enough time in the water for that to be worrisome. Pumped about a quart. Must have been some storm.
Going With The Flow
 |
| Structural Rust |
It is important for you to know this because when I returned the next day I found water still dripping from a trailer cross member. The beginning of a trailer sailor’s nightmare. Horses aside, I reached under the beam and dislodged a hand full of rusted boat trailer.
My Savings Account Moaned
Further inspection revealed more rust, some of it structural, all of it too costly to repair. Our ten year old junk yard trailer needs a one way ticket to its former home.The Trailer Has Traveled Its Last Mile
Hopefully it has few more yards left in it. One more launch is all we need.Here’s the rusty details and some cool sailing scenes if I must say, and do.
“A Sailboat Trailer’s End” The movie- Part One
Next time we'll talk about the spanking new trailer.
SMALL BOATS ROCK!!
Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active.
Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Evinrude - Johnson Gas Line Connection
I'm motoring southbound in the Gulfport Fl channel on a fine sunny day.
The West wind is pushing us ever closer to the concrete seawall.
I compensate.
Our venerable, meaning old, 8hp Evinrude sputters a bit.
A twist of the throttle brings a surge of speed.
Almost out of the channel now-free of concrete but approaching
sandy shallows port and starboard.
Then ....... Mr. E, as he is known with affection and occasional consternation-
Sputters and quits.
The West wind belches a lusty gust.
Linda begins to raise HideAway's jib.
I glance at the motor and see the gas line dangling from the transom....
Again.
I hesitate to tell you how long I have put up with this obvious manufacturing defect. (It can't be me)
Let's just state that the hose recently was replaced after becoming brittle with age.
Part of the sailing culture is knowing how to pinch pennies until they squeal. My effort to keep this fine tradition alive and well consisted of purchasing a new gas line assembly at an "marine"establishment that also sells vegetables.
Much to my dismay the new hose had the same problem as the old- An owner with too few brain cells left over from the 60s.
Then it struck me - No, really, it did. I dropped the hose on my foot and noticed that silver thingie on top of the black connector and deduced that it may have some function. I was having a good day.
That little tab by the big red arrow can be bent to engage the blurry slot by the smaller red arrow. (you didn't expect a sharp image did you? Where's the fun in that?)
Turns out that if you bend the small tab just so it will take the dangle out of your hose for a good long while.
Motoring down the Gulfport channel will never be the same
The West wind is pushing us ever closer to the concrete seawall.
I compensate.
Our venerable, meaning old, 8hp Evinrude sputters a bit.
A twist of the throttle brings a surge of speed.
Almost out of the channel now-free of concrete but approaching
sandy shallows port and starboard.
Then ....... Mr. E, as he is known with affection and occasional consternation-
Sputters and quits.
The West wind belches a lusty gust.
Linda begins to raise HideAway's jib.
I glance at the motor and see the gas line dangling from the transom....
Again.
 |
| Evinrude/Johnson gas line connector |
Let's just state that the hose recently was replaced after becoming brittle with age.
Part of the sailing culture is knowing how to pinch pennies until they squeal. My effort to keep this fine tradition alive and well consisted of purchasing a new gas line assembly at an "marine"establishment that also sells vegetables.
Much to my dismay the new hose had the same problem as the old- An owner with too few brain cells left over from the 60s.
Then it struck me - No, really, it did. I dropped the hose on my foot and noticed that silver thingie on top of the black connector and deduced that it may have some function. I was having a good day.
 |
| Aftermarket OMC Evinrude Johnson gas line connector |
That little tab by the big red arrow can be bent to engage the blurry slot by the smaller red arrow. (you didn't expect a sharp image did you? Where's the fun in that?)
Turns out that if you bend the small tab just so it will take the dangle out of your hose for a good long while.
Motoring down the Gulfport channel will never be the same
SMALL BOATS ROCK!!
Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active.
Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too!
New! The Hideaways take to the road!
Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway.
The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.
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